Go for a Sweeping Change

Isn’t this way better than the Ice Bucket challenge? I daresay it is. Although, I see sharks of cynicism circling the waters. First our HRD Minister Smriti Irani (yes yes, the same KSBKBT-fame woman better known for not having high funda degrees to justify her being in our elite political space), and now our Prime Minister went about wielding the jhadoo (broom) in a bid to launch Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.

Many joked that it was a bid to put two parties out of business: Congress, by (mis)appropriating the Gandhi legacy since PM deftly launched the abhiyan as a tribute to the Father of the Nation on Oct 2, Bapu’s birthday, and Aam Aadmi Party, by using its election symbol for the event. I think it was a bitter joke. For the two could not be more out of business. Kerala Congress is hell bent upon trashing Tharoor’s very sporting tweets in favour of Modi’s campaign because they probably see the threat in having a cleaner Bharat at the behest of Modi when it should rightfully have been Rahul Baba. As for AAP… Ah well, moving on… cough cough! (Dust from the jhadoo… I gotta go get myself a muffler)

I think the abhiyan is a great idea! I think it’s a pity that 67 years since Independence we are lauding cleanliness as a great idea. Finally, a leader has – and I hate to use these words – condescended to shining the spotlight on something as basic as cleanliness and hygiene. The last time some one did that was Gandhi, and in his time it was a crying need of our society. This time, the issue is a crying shame. Modi may have some despicable faults in the eyes of many, but we owe it to our nation to acknowledge issues on their merit, and if being our PM, Modi is raising those issues, let’s appreciate it. Yes, he may have vested interests but are we so blinded by our prejudice that we cannot see our vested interests in it for a positive outcome?